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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. fall — the season
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wind — moving air
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rule — government
  23. bank — for money
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com